Spirits of the Lifestream
by Dark-Fire27
Summary: Basically, I was just bored and decided to make a bit of a novelization based off the original game. OC warning, and a bit of OCxCissnei later on. Rating may go up to M later on, but I'm not exactly sure, and please R&R if you can. Spoilers from CC!
1. What was Gone, was Actually Asleep

(AN: I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 1: What was Gone, was actually Asleep…

Security Log: #1048

Time: 04/11/2313 10:57 P.M

In this dark, silent hallway within the Shinra building, I couldn't help but feel that I was being watched from a distance. I may have been in a one way hallway, but still, there are the air ducts that run above my head, which may, or may not contain an unpleasant surprise. Seeing that I couldn't really hear things, plus the fact that the smell of sweat was starting to get to me, I had to remove this helmet. Placing my Shinra Inc. automatic rifle on the ground beside me, I brought both of my arms up and pulled the helmet off of my head, allowing my brown, shoulder length hair to flow freely from the restraint of the head gear. I let out a sigh of relief, mainly because I could feel a weight being lifted from my shoulders (Technically head), and could breathe the fresh air once again.

Because I was distracted by the relief over me, I didn't hear the only exit out of the air duct above me open, and also somebody slowly coming down behind me. But, when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I let out a soft, "Eep!" and, grabbing my rifle and rolling away from whoever, I was a bit annoyed at the fact that it was another soldier dressed in a uniform much similar to my own. The only difference between us was that this soldier's scarf was a deep scarlet in color, while my was an ill-green, which symbolized I was a lower rank than this man. And that was probably why he came here to sneak up on me, because he could take advantage of me while my guard was down.

"Hehe, you know you're quite easy to scare, aren't you, Damien? And besides, aren't you going to wear your helmet in case things are to get rough, which seems rather unlikely; the prisoners are locked up with no way out, and the specimens in the lab can't even get out, so what can you do?" The man spoke, and I knew immediately who this man was, an old friend who moved a while back.

"You know, Richter, the lab is supposed to be your responsibility, to make sure that another incident such as the one from seven years ago doesn't be repeated. Though I wasn't there to actually experience what happened, I heard that a SOLDIER 1st Class was the cause of letting a number of beasts to be released." I spoke, remembering something that the head of the Science Department, more specifically known as Hojo, told us. And, Richter was supposed to be on duty in that area to avoid another incident such as the one made by that SOLDIER 1st Class seven years ago.

"Right… But who in their mind would honestly do a thing such as that, surely it wouldn't have been Angeal, for that matter, or even Sephiroth. Which reminds me, you're aware that Sephiroth was defeated seven years ago in a town called Nibelheim, right? I think it was on the continent next to the one we're on now, but hey, whoever defeated Sephiroth **had **to be another 1st Class SOLDIER, or an incredibly powerful beast." Richter spoke, crossing his arms over his chest while trying to make a point. Besides the three legendary 1st Class SOLDIERs; who were Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth, I wasn't really told about any other specific SOLDIERs with that rank. And besides, their name would've been written down in Shinra history if they had defeated Sephiroth.

But, before I could respond, I watched as the already dim lights were shut off completely, which had me turn on the built-in flashlight on my rifle to see what was going on. I watched as Richter's own flashlight was activated, but I was surprised when he let off fire in my general direction. At first, I was thinking that Richter had finally lost it, but I heard a beast's roar of pain come from behind me, and when I looked, I saw a deranged, four-legged creature with spines running from its head down its back to its tail. I was surprised to see several others appear down the hallway behind it, some with wings and one eye, others with six legs and countless eyes.

"Damien, what the hell are you waiting for? Get your ass together and wipe out these mother f%/$ers!" He ordered, continuing to let out rounds in a burst-fire pattern, consisting of three or four shots before a short pause. I rolled out of the way and, crouched a fair distance from him on one knee, I too began to let out rounds in a similar manner, but it consisted of two or three instead. But, I'm not one who was great at aiming, and only one of three sets of burst-fires actually hit the target. And, I was aiming at one of the smaller beasts, so that would be the main reason why I was missing so much. I'm sure that the prisoners who were being held in their cells probably heard what was going on out here, but I realized that now wasn't the time to think too much about it. But, seeing that I was missing so much, and aiming at another creature, a six-legged, multi-eyed creature lunged at me, causing my to direct my aim at it and expected the quick and painless death to occur.

But, when I didn't feel anything for a while, I looked up from where I was and, standing before me with their back towards me, I looked at the long, silver haired man. He was incredibly tall, and at first, I thought that he was a SOLDIER 1st Class, at least from the uniform that he wore, but knew that something was wrong. In his hand was an incredibly long katana, which along the edge was covered with the creatures' blood, and I also saw several slash marks against the nearby wall. I knew that this wasn't happening, and remembered that the man known as Sephiroth had these very features, but the thing was, that very man was supposed to be dead.

When he turned around, I saw his blue, mako infused eyes look down at me, and seeing that I was a fair distance away from him, I dropped my rifle and tried to move away from him. But, I was too stunned to even move when his sword was brought only mere centimeters away from my neck, and I knew that I was a goner. My breathing became deeper as I saw him pull back, and at first it looked as though he was going to kill me, but I soon heard Richter's rifle began to let out rounds at the man, who immediately defected them rather easily. I was glad that his attention was no longer set on me, but my concern now was that it was on Richter, and in one demonically quick motion, his sword impaled right through my friend's chest, right where his heart was.

I knew that he was dead just a few moments after the blade plowed right through him, his rifle colliding with the ground with a few clanks before all went silent. The only thing that could be heard was my heavy breathing, and the silent fluttering of this man's black cape, and nothing more. Richter, my best friend, was gone before my very eyes, because of a man who looked exactly like Sephiroth.

It was then I heard this man mutter a few words in a calm, deep, and also threatening voice, "I must go to the 'Promised Land' with Mother… Don't even try to stop me…" He spoke, before pulling his sword from Richter's now lifeless body and allowed it to fall to the ground, blood soaking the ground around him. "All those who get in my way will perish… Including Shinra dogs like you…" He added, before making his way down the hall, after swiping his sword free of blood to avoid it from rusting. It was then I took notice of a creature's head, the headband on it saying something like, 'Jenova'.

I was too stunned to do anything at first, and after I was relaxed a bit, I soon slowly slid over to Richter's side, his helmet removed when he collided with the ground, revealing his features. His hear was a deep auburn, and his eyes were a light blue to show that he was infused with mako energy. Taking my thumb and closed my friend's eyes, I could feel that I had to avenge him, but with a man with speed like that, there was no way I could be able to do it with the way I am now. I knew that he would disappear and become one with the Lifestream in a while, seeing that there was no longer any chance that he could be saved.

And, knowing that the president was also in trouble, I pulled the keys to the prison cells from my pocket and looked at them, wondering if what I plan on doing would be the right thing. I heard that these prisoners were able to make it so far into the building, so they must've been very powerful to take on mass amounts of Shinra troops, members of SOLDIER, and of course the machines that have been developed by the Weapons Department. Another option was to call in reinforcements, however, when I turned on my hand held radio and turned on the option to talk, all I heard was static, which was very painful to my ears.

So basically, I had really no other choice, and because I was in Shinra, I was going to be hated, and would probably be beaten up or even killed by them. But then again, if I was going to let them go against my specific orders to leave them in their cells, then they may give me a chance to describe, or rather show them this journal of what just happened. Looking at the good side of what may happen; I also knew that there weren't any others that I could depend on to help face this man who could possibly even be Sephiroth, as unlikely as it would sound.

After I was relaxed enough to stand up and move around, I stood up and, the moment I did, I looked at the light that came from Richter's lifeless body, starting off bright and colorless, and turned into an aquamarine color. I knew that he was becoming one with the Lifestream, and there was nothing now that could help him return to the life he desired to live. First, it was his legs that disappeared, and from there, his body began to disappear up until it reached the top of his head. I sent a soft prayer for him to rest well in the Lifestream, before going back to the task I had in hand.

Flipping through each of the keys I now held in my hand, I walked to each cell door, unlocked each one and gave a soft knock, as if telling them to get up and out. And, knowing that their equipment was stored away elsewhere in the building, I would take two of them with me to where it was. But, I had only a bit of a vague memory when it comes to remembering things like that, and all I really remember was that it was the Turk's job to do that. Either way though, I would do my best to take them to where their equipment would most likely be stashed away, which would probably be the locker room a few floors down. Now, all I had to do now was to wait for the prisoners… no, the people who were in the cells to come out and, started to come up with answers to their possible questions which would more than likely be aimed at me.


	2. Bad Start with AVALANCHE

(AN: I still own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 2: Bad Start with AVALANCHE…

Security Log: #1049

Time: 04/11/2313 11:37 P.M

In case anyone is wondering, I'm writing in this journal so I can pass time while I'm waiting for the locked up personnel to get out. Also, if I didn't really introduce myself earlier, here's my full identity, and what my current occupation in Shinra is (Though my logs should've already told you). I'm know fully as Damien Andrew Birnhart, and as for my occupation, I'm just a security guard in Shinra. But, for what I just did by setting free the prisoners, I doubt that my position will easily be removed, and will be fired on the spot. But, who am I to even care about that, when this job was rather low paying for the past while? (Okay, so it was able to prevent my bills to stack up, but other than that, I think that I could've deserved a bit of a raise from the head of the Shinra, the president…)

Okay, I think I should stop describing myself and what is currently going on, seeing that I could've sworn that I heard movement within one of the cells, the middle one to be exact. I still haven't picked up my rifle at all since I dropped it earlier, in hopes of giving me a better chance to actually live from the expected pummeling. So, I turned my head and watched as the door whooshed open (I don't understand why it does that, even though I've been working for Shinra for about six months now, and this was really my second assignment.) So anyways, the man who came out was a blonde man with blue, mako infused eyes, and seeing him in the suit he wore, he must've been a part of Shinra for a while himself. But, even though it was really dark, it wasn't like I wasn't able to see or anything, partially because my rifle's flashlight was still on and pointing in his direction on the ground.

The suit, being black with some shoulder guards and belts along the torso and pants, showed that this man used to be a SOLDIER 1st Class, and that had me believe that no wonder why he was able to make it so far. But, all my thoughts came to a halt when I saw his eyes glare into my own, and before I could do anything, he had me pinned against the wall whilst holding me up by the collar. I knew that I was dead, regardless if he was unarmed; 1st Class SOLDIERs were dangerous no matter what, but all that stopped when he put me down, and looked at the seriously damaged hallway. He just looked around and, walking down the end of the hallway, he still was unable to see a whole lot else besides me. But, no matter how a person put it, this area seemed like a battle ground, and it was actually not that long ago.

He turned back to look at me, but this time there wasn't any major signs of hostility in his eyes, but that didn't mean that he saw me as an ally. But, my guess is that he was wondering what all happened here, and before I reached into my backpack for my journal, the three doors opened up and, coming out from the closest door to the furthest one down, was a large, buff and dark-skinned man in rebellious clothing, his right arm being a robotic, artificial arm. The creature that came out with that man confused me; he seemed to be a larger than normal-sized, red furred wolf with many tattoos over his body, including a tattoo on his right front paw that said, 'XIII' on it.

From the middle door was a woman with quite a large chest, brown eyes and black hair, wearing a white tank-top and cargo shorts. On her hands were what seemed like leather gloves, and that had me thinking that she was probably a martial artist. And, the woman who came out of the third door was one with what seemed like the polar opposite of the first. She had flowing, curly light brown hair (much like my own) and green eyes, and though her chest wasn't quite as large as the first's, it could just be because she wore a long, pink and magenta colored dress. And, her appearance showed that she wasn't much of a fighter either, but seemed rather intelligent and… for some reason, she had a strange aura around her. (I learned later that she was an Ancient, more formally referred to as the Cetra.)

Anyways, the large man I was talking about earlier, well, he wasn't too happy to see me, and insisted that he'd blow me into oblivion, as his robotic arm transformed into a heavy duty machine gun. From what I could guess, and even though I was wearing a bullet-proof suit, the bullets that the gun could fire could be plenty enough to penetrate the uniform, then me, and then the uniform again. But, the blond haired man held him back, wishing to know more about what has happened here. To be honest, I would be happy to tell them what happened here, and if needed to, that I wanted to quit Shinra anyways, as soon as I find out what the president's condition is.

And then, came the question I expected, coming from the blond haired man as he turned around, speaking in a calm, cool voice, "You know what happened here, don't you? I can tell that you're covered with some blood, so I can only guess that you were involved with what happened out here. If you tell us, we'll make your life easier than it already is…" As he said that, I took notice of the large man take aim at me, the black-haired woman and the wolf-like creature get into position, though blondey didn't exactly do anything, but he did sound rather serious. Reaching back into my backpack, I pulled out the journal and held it out to him.

"It's the last entry I put in there… In case you're wondering." I spoke simply, though my voice was just a tad scitterish because I was still just a bit shaken up with what happened earlier with who I'm guessing to be Sephiroth. That man certainly did look exactly how many employees to describe him to be, SOLDIERs of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class, Shinra troopers, and even a few of the Turks. Which reminds me, I don't think I told you about this one Turk girl who, though she does take her work a bit seriously, is still rather cute, have I? I'll be sure to talk about her later, but right now doesn't seem like the best time to talk about such thoughts.

Anyways, the blond haired man took the journal from my grasp and flipped through the pages until he came to practically the end. I watched as his eyes scanned every single word of it, and though it took a while to get to the main part of my journal, I saw his eyes stop at one part. I then watched as his eyes went back and read over the words again, to make sure with what I had written down was correct. It took him a while, but after a while, he closed the journal and handed the journal back to me, which I placed back into my backpack, sorting it through the materia which was given to me to hold on to. And, that materia was actually this group's, to tell the truth, but I'll wait until a bit later before I tell them.

But, I was quite surprised when I heard the wolf-like creature spoke, telling everyone that he'd check down the hall in case there were any more beasts they had to worry about, and watched as he made his way down the hallway. But, it wasn't long before I listened to their discussion, but too much because I didn't want them to think I was eavesdropping on them. I heard the name 'Sephiroth' be discussed about, and my guess was that, at least the blond haired man knew quite a lot about him, more than what I heard about from the employees.

It was then I heard him suggest they should head for the president's office, but if you ask me, the blond haired man seemed to be just a bit under-equipped, much like the brown haired woman. Everyone else seemed to be well-enough equipped to carry on, but I wasn't sure if they'd want to wait for them to get their equipment, especially when I know at least where it could be. "Look, if you think you're well enough prepared to carry on, go right on ahead, but if you need the rest of your equipment, I could take you to where it is." I spoke, only to get pinned against the wall again and saw the ex-SOLDIER's eyes filled with rage.

"You're only making things more difficult for yourself… But I suppose I don't have much choice…" He spoke, loosening his grip again, though the hostility in his eyes didn't fade. "Anyways, why are you helping us anyways; you're in Shinra, aren't you? Unless of course… you're beginning to think that what AVALANCHE is doing is the right way… to deal with things?" He added, and for a response, I gave a simple nod in agreement.

"It is as you say… Well, that, and the fact that I'm getting a lousy pay cheque for watching over people like you. I'm getting paid too little for too much work if you ask me, especially when watching over the prisoners and being cornered by a guy with a long katana and long, silver hair, so that's why I want to quit. You can refuse, but I'll take you to your equipment is stored; knowing those Turks, Reno and Rude, they'd probably stash it in the locker room a few floors down…" I spoke, but, like I expected, I didn't receive a single comment or anything from them, mainly because they probably don't really care of my life.

I then took notice of the black haired woman eying me, and, something tells me that I've probably seen her somewhere as well, now that I actually thought about it. I remember a similar looking woman that ran a bar in Sector Seven, called "Tifa's Seventh Heaven" or something, and was also a martial artist. I then realized that this woman was this bartender, Tifa, but why she wouldn't have attacked me the last time I went to that bar, I may never know. I was sort of there on my first assignment to check out if it was a base for AVALANCHE, and was sent there with that Turk girl I mentioned earlier. But, because we couldn't find anything suspicious there, we decided to stay there for a drink or two (I'm legally able to drink, just so you know, I'm 20 and a half.) We got to learn more about each other there, but we were kicked out after we had a few drinks, right before a suspicious group came in.

Anyways, enough about that, it was then the brown-haired woman soon said, "You know what, Cloud… Let him take you and me to the locker room, and if he does go against his word, we, though technically you, can go ahead and knock him out and whatnot…" She spoke to the ex-SOLDIER known as Cloud, before adding, "But anyways, do you also know where our materia is?" She placed a hand on her hip and looked at me, causing all the others to do the same with their own glares. Reaching back into my backpack, and taking my journals out of it, I handed it to them.

"The Turks left me with having to hold onto your materia, seeing that if they stuck it on anyone, it'd be on a low Shinra, well, technically now ex-Shinra trooper. To prove that I'm going to stick with my word, then here…" I reached into my jacket's pocket and pulled out my hand radio, and in a quick movement, I tossed it on the ground and, with a small smash, I knew that it was broken. My whole concept of doing that was that, by smashing my radio, there was no chance of me being able to call in reinforcements, which would be a good thing for them. They were silent, but whether or not they know what it was that I broke, the guessed that it must've been an addition to their favor.

"Hey, ex-Shinra- I mean, Damien. Here, catch…" I heard Cloud say, and say as he kicked my rifle, giving my little time to catch it by the barrel. Positioning it in front of my and aimed down at the ground, I gave a simple nod from him, and watched as the large man and Tifa went down the hallway the wolf-like creature went down, but I was given a warning from the man before he left all together. But, I was confused at the fact that Cloud called me by my name, but his best guess was that he read what it was that Richter said. Richter, I still can't believe that he's dead thanks to Sephiroth, and that made it one more reason for me to travel with these guys. Cloud seemed to know quite a bit about Sephiroth already, and perhaps he may explain later.

"Anyways, Damien, let's get going, and I'm not expecting you to fight any Shinra troops, but I do expect you to help fight the beasts and machines we run into along the way. Me and Aerith are equipped with lightning materia just in case we do, and would make the fighting against those pieces of scrap metal plenty much easier. But, I still don't trust you, at least not yet, until we get mine and Aerith's equipment back, then we might see, yet I can't guarantee anything." Cloud spoke, which caused me to nod and walk both him and this woman named Aerith and began to lead them down the hallway. I have no guarantee what may show up ahead, but to help AVALANCHE is my option at the moment, and when I see the president and his condition, I'm going to quit on the spot.


	3. Encounter with Cissnei P1

(AN: Once more, I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 3: Encounter with Cissnei (P. 1)

Security Log: #1050

Time: 04/12/2313 12:11 A.M

Well, from where I left off, I was leading Cloud and Aerith to their respected destination, which was the locker room a few floors down. I kept my eyes focused on what was ahead of me, and I noticed that what I stepped on was some sort of blood-like substance, mainly because I'm not sure if it is blood or not. There was also blood and slash marks across the walls as well, and I can only guess that Sephiroth had to have been the cause, because I doubt there's any other SOLDIER who's stronger. Yet, now that I thought about it, Cloud used to be part of SOLDIER, a 1st Class according to the color uniform he wore, and he sure does seem to know quite a bit about Sephiroth.

If I have time after this, I'll ask him if he knows anything about how Sephiroth supposedly died, but for now, I have a job to do. Anyways, as I walk down the severely damaged hallway, I was glad that I didn't have to deal with any of the creatures I had to fight earlier alongside Richter. But, I was still nervous the whole way until we reached the staircase, and before we descended, I could hear faint sounds of gun shots two floors down. But, from my standpoint, the blood-like substance went up the staircase, not down, so that would mean that Sephiroth shouldn't be down there, yet I still had to help get the equipment for both Cloud and Aerith. And to get to the locker room, I have a feeling that I have to fight my way to get there, and if I'm seen with AVALANCHE, no, it wouldn't matter if they did.

I desire to be part of AVALANCHE, but now that I thought about it, if I were to become a part of a rebel group, then chances are that the Turk girl I was talking about earlier probably won't like me anymore. Cissnei, that's the name of the Turk girl I like, and she used to work with Reno and Rude in the past, however because of new rules, she was to work with two other knuckle-heads, I have to admit. I know personally that Cissnei may seem like a nice girl at first glance, but when she has to do her job, she takes it seriously and her fighting style is not to be questioned. Though she uses one of two of her chackrams during battle, she is still tough as nails, as the saying goes, yet she is really nice if you get to know her, mainly if you're either a pedestrian or part of Shinra.

After snapping back to reality, I led them down the stairs, no longer hearing any gun shots being let off but yet, I had a strange, ominous feeling that we weren't alone. I kept my rifle up at the ready in case the machines were still operating, and when I came to the level with the locker room, and just outside the stairway room, I could hear a faint static sound. I came to the doorway and placed my hand on a touch pad and placed a higher level card-key into the slot just under it. With that, the light at the top of the door turned green, and I walked to the front of it, and ready to blast at whatever was on the other side, I kept my eyes focused right ahead.

When the door opened up, I was staring into the dark gaze of one of Shinra's machines, but because its eyes weren't red, the machine was shut off. "Well, I wasn't expecting that…" I spoke softly, moving the machine clear of the doorway as Cloud and Aerith stepped out behind me, though that ominous feeling didn't go away. "I'll go on ahead in case there's still someone here, and I'll give you some sort of signal to continue for the locker room. Whatever it may be, just get your equipment and head up to the president's quarters, and I'll make my way up if I live that long." I spoke, signaling for them to hold position as I stepped out along the corridor, my rifle raised as my flashlight kept shining brightly. I tried my absolute best to keep my breathing low and silent, unaware that I was being followed by an operating machine that's gone haywire. It wasn't until it got relatively close that the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up, and the faint sounds of robotic movement came behind me.

When I turned my head to look at it, I had little time to try and block the attack that followed it with my rifle. I gave a grunt at the fact that it had quite a bit of strength left in it, regardless of all the bullet holes in the machine. I saw some blood etched on the machine's claws, meaning that it must've fought for quite a while without losing. And by the way things are now as well as my training, I doubted that I'd be able to get out of this without getting myself killed. 'Dammit, martial arts will do next to nothing against this piece of scrap metal…' I thought, and just before I cried out for help, I could've sworn I heard another voice.

"Crouch down, Damien!" the feminine voice came, and as I saw the machine try to pin point the voice's location, I did as I was told and moved out of the way. When I looked back at the machine, I saw what seemed to be the shape of who I guessed to be none other than Cissnei, taking a few swings at the robot with her chakram. She wore her regular Turk suit, which basically seemed like a full formal suit or something, which I had to admit looked rather sexy on her regardless. The robot moved back a ways, stunned at the sudden attack and seemed ready to attack her, and I knew that I couldn't just leave her. I moved back into the fray, my rifle pointed at the machine, ready for a fight now.

As Cissnei stayed out of the way, I began to let off this rifle's more powerful type of ammunition, which was just slightly explosive as well as armor piercing, which should deal enough damage to its circuit breaker and cause the machine to fail and shut down. But with this ammunition, my rate of fire was very much similar to that of a shotgun's, yet it had just a bit more power than one even without the spread-style shot. Only a few more shots after wards, and with the right precision, I was able to destroy the circuit breaker, and with a loud to silent hum, the machine immediately shut off. I breathed a bit deeply, and brought my left hand up to hold my right arm for a moment, mainly because each shot I let off gave a powerful knock back against my arm, which made it ache a bit.

"Cissnei, thanks." I spoke simply, thanking the fact that she came in at the right moment to help. I watched as she smiled at me, and thanks to the fact that it was dark, it was rather difficult to see the blush that crept on my face.

"No problem at all, Damien. But, why are you down here, I thought you were to keep an eye on the prisoner cells?" She spoke, and I began to wonder where I've heard that before. Actually, I was the one who said something like this to Richter before all of this started to happen, and before he became one with the Lifestream.

"Actually, yeah I was supposed to, but I'm the only one who holds the cell keys…" I began, looking over her shoulder to see Cloud and Aerith try to silently move through the darkness, which caused me to make sure that she didn't turn around. "And, Richter told me to go down while he watched over the cells in my place. He wanted me to make sure what all the ruckus down here was all about…" I spoke, knowing that it was a lie, watching her tilt her head from side to side in confusion.

"But, wasn't Richter supposed to watch over the specimens in Hojo's Lab, at least in case the power should fail." She spoke, and just before I was about to reply, I heard a clank from the other end of the hallway, and saw that Cloud tripped over another broken machine. Not seeing any resolution, and just before she was about to turn her head to look in the direction of the sound, I dropped my rifle and gently cupped her cheek in one motion. Before she could even question me, I leaned forwards and kissed her on the lips, and from behind her shoulder, I could see Cloud's face go, "WHAT?" While he was distracted, Aerith came and dragged him out of view.

To be at all honest, the kiss with Cissnei wasn't really that bad, and when I saw Cloud get out of sight, I pulled away from her, my blush now a tad noticeable even in the darkness. But I also saw that Cissnei's face was probably just as red as my own, yet I wasn't sure if she liked the kiss or not. That's how it was for a while; nothing but an awkward silence between the both of us.

"Ummm, Damien… Why did… why did you… kiss me? We're supposed to be… working?" She eventually spoke, and I knew that she was probably upset with this, and I knew that the kiss might've been a bit too much. I brought a hand up to behind my head and scratched it nervously, mainly because the kiss was also a large step to a relationship, even though it was what I wanted.

"Well, I ummm…" I began, glad that she seemed to have forgotten the sound that Cloud made earlier (I'll be sure to talk to him about that later.) "Well, I guess the only meaning would… have to be that I-" I added, only to have been cut off by Cissnei's finger when it was pressed against my lips. At first I was confused, but after seeing her smile, I was relieved that she didn't seem to mind too much about it all that much.

"Now Damien, don't go on to think of an apology… To be honest, I actually kind of… liked it…" She spoke, softly and sweetly, the voice by far different than her usual, business voice. Just as she began to lean closer to me for another kiss, her little hand-held radio gone off, and it was then she went back to her usual self. I reached down and picked up my rifle, trying my best to stay out of her conversation with who I guessed to be with one of her partners, saying that there was another machine malfunction a few floors down.

"Alright, I'll be right there, just hold them off, Decus…" I heard her say, before she turned it off to look at me once again. "Well, I have business to attend to, and the next time we see each other Damien, I'll repay you that small favor, if you know what I mean…" She spoke to me, giving me a wink before she made her way towards the staircase, mentally relieved that Cloud and Aerith made their move rather quickly. When she was out of sight, I chuckled a bit softly to myself, and after shaking my head a bit, I started to make my way to the locker room. I didn't have a lot to worry about, Cissnei was capable of taking care of herself, and that's when it occurred to me that I didn't tell her that I was no longer part of Shinra.

Disregarding what I did, when I came to the locker room, I saw the door was already opened and, just after I walked in, I was pinned to the ground with a sharp sword to my neck. "Gah, what the hell, Cloud? It's Damien…" I spoke, and just after saying my name, the blade was removed from my neck as the blond ex-SOLDIER got off of me.

"Sorry about that Damien, but I thought it was that Turk that you supposedly kissed… But, why on Gaia would you even do that, mainly because you're no longer of Shinra?" Cloud spoke, placing the sword on his back and crossed his arms over his chest. I was just a tad bit annoyed with him, mainly because he would've given away his position had I not interfered with Cissnei. So, technically, he should be thanking me and not discouraging me, but he seemed like the supposed leader of AVALANCHE besides the large man from earlier.

"Cloud, you do know that it was you who tripped over that machine, and if he hadn't kissed her, she would've probably seen you and have tried to take you in as it was. So Damien shouldn't be the one to blame; seeing that he didn't want his new allies to be caught by old allies. Now apologize…" Aerith spoke, just a tad bit annoyed with Cloud's behavior, only to have not just him, but also myself to look at her with a slight dumb-founded facial expression. Cloud because he didn't know that Aerith would stand up for me, one of the more recent additions to the group; and also myself because, well, I wasn't exactly expecting her to stand up for me in general.

I didn't hear Cloud make his apology after our recovery from what Aerith said, but I didn't really seem to care at the moment. Right now, besides the recent kiss with Cissnei still on my mind, the safety of the president as well came to my thoughts; knowing it was dangerous for him with Sephiroth running around the Shinra building. So far, the changes that have been in effect are that the machines are starting to malfunction, but Shinra has been known for its bugs, and also a few mutated monsters, yet that could also be because of Hojo's most recent experiments. I honestly don't know if they were connected to Sephiroth's presence of not, but even I could feel a draft by far different since that attack on Richter and I.

"Look, we came here for what you guys needed, so now let's make our way back up to the President's office; I'm sure that the others are waiting for at least you two. But, my kiss with that Turk is only between us, okay?" I spoke, preferring not to allow anyone else to know about my kiss with Cissnei, which they nodded their head to. But, before we left, I saw Cloud approach me once more and, placed two green orbs in my hand, which had me confused for a moment before I realized that they were two materia stones, one possessing the power of fire, the other possessing the power to heal others.

"These, Damien… are my apology for doubting you up to this point. Of course, I still don't exactly trust you, but I do know that you don't try to be a bad person on purpose. Make good use of them…" Cloud spoke, which caused me to nod my head lightly and also saw him pass me a piece of paper. "If you need help with using materia, then refer to this if you need to. I'm sure it should at least tell you the basics on how equipping materia can change greatly depending how you pair them up." He added, before walking out of the room, with Aerith following close behind him, before I too walked out with them, making our way to the office.

As we walked, I equipped myself with the fire-based materia while following the instructions on the piece of paper Cloud gave me, and just from it entering my arm, I could feel a great surge of heat move through my body. Though my physical strengths seemed to have lowered slightly, I knew that me using physical strength wasn't how I roll; I used the aid of a rifle, and that looked as though that it'd be all that I'll need. But, the instructions didn't say much about any strange side effects such as that flaming surge, so whether it was because Cloud became adapted to it or not, I may never know. All I do know is that I had to put up with these effects for a while, so all I really had to do was to just accept it, possibly even for the upcoming fight we may have to encounter. Even if we should come face-to-face with Sephiroth himself.

After climbing back up the flights of stairs, behind Cloud and Aerith, we arrived to the top floor, just under the president's quarters. The door leading to the hallways was unlocked, strangely, but it seemed as though it was forced open with almost no difficulty. Cuts were also on the door, as if they were made by a razor-sharp sword of sorts, and I couldn't help but have that strange shiver run down my spine. The images of Sephiroth killing my only friend here in Shinra, who was now in the Lifestream because of silver-haired demon; I couldn't stand it. His eyes; they seemed as if he was possessed, and seemed as though he would kill anyone that stood in his way; the mind of a killer was his only intuition.

I swear it on my name that Richter would be avenged, whether I'm Shinra or AVALANCHE, it doesn't matter which side I'm on now. I wasn't paying much attention when I saw Cloud and Aerith stop, with their weapons at the ready, but when I snapped back, one of the creatures from before was right in front of me. I quickly had my rifle at the ready, and began to let off fire at it, but I forgot to switch ammunition, so to put it simply, I was over-killing it with the slightly explosive, shotgun-like shells. Well, as long as it was dead, it didn't matter which ammunition I was to use; just as long as it was dead was all that mattered at the moment.

Two shots was all was really needed to make the beast fall, but it was still breathing, near dead, but I pointed my rifle at it, point-blank at the head (or so I guessed to be its head), and shot it, some of its blood spurting out and hitting me in the face, as well as my hands and torso. The weapon itself was just as reliable as an AK-74, so it could be filled with blood and it would still fire like no tomorrow. All in all, the creature was now dead, but with the ammunition, it was a bit sad, but I doubt that the large man would care since his rounds were roughly the same as what I just fired, except his could be fire at the same pace as a mini-gun.

Cloud and Aerith seemed to be done with their creatures as well, but Cloud looked a little wounded (since he was an ex-SOLDIER, and no doubt that even the best would get wounded, especially by mutated beasts like these), so I used my restoration materia and healed him, which had closed his wounds in no time. I doubt he'd do the same for me, but I wanted to make sure my allies are in better shape than I am; it was a rule I followed wherever I went. I placed the materia in the backpack I had that contained my journals, and it might be soon I'll put this one in there. But, I should get to the rest of the group, and see to it they reach the president's office safely, regardless of how little trained I am, before I do.

Upon finishing up, we carry onwards, whilst I placed my rifle on my back since the lights on the upper floors were still active, but only by the back-up power. I also turned off my flashlight so I wouldn't waste the battery when it was bright enough that we can see, but regardless, I had my doubts that we would need it again. I remember what life was like outside Midgar, and everything was bright and whatnot, not like this black, near dark sky with artificial sun coming in within the slums. As I was now, I could use a drink of sorts, but I knew I could hold off a while longer, and besides, I always carried a water bottle around in case something happens.

Once we were in the main hall, I saw that Tifa, the large man and the creature, waiting for Cloud and Aerith (I still doubted that they wanted me there at all), and of course, they were into a conversation amongst themselves. For my last moments in Shinra, I wanted to know the President's condition, but this room reeked of blood and death, and I could sense it was coming from above us. '_Something's not right…If Sephiroth made it up here, how on earth would he be able to make his way down undetected…? Surely we must have seen him already if he was on his way down, but yet, I seen no trace of him besides what I saw when he struck down Richter…_' I thought to myself, before walking by the group, and was at the base of the stairwell. I could hear the faint sounds of footsteps from above, but aside from that; everything was completely silent, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

I was caught off guard when I felt a large hand on my shoulder, and I was pushed out of the way of the large man, who Tifa seemed to call him Barret, as he made his way up. I knew that they were wanting to confront the president, and I too had something to say to him as well, so it was one of the few things we had in common. Cloud never bother to glance at me, but when Aerith walked past, she stopped before I followed her.

That was one thing I can't understand; the only one who showed any pity for me thus far was Aerith, and she seemed to treat me as if I were an ally, and not an enemy or anything. I then suddenly began to compare her with Cissnei; both were kind in their own ways, but Aerith seems to show more compassion to a lot of people, even if they're enemies. Cissnei is a great ally, I admit, yet she also shows respect to any allies, even if they tend to be people she disliked. I blinked a few more times, and snapped back to reality.

Once in the top floor, I saw everyone seem to stop to gaze deeply on something, but I was looking at the damage at the moment, and knew Sephiroth had to be the culprit. But when I faced the main desk of the president, I opened my mouth and stepped back a little, taken off guard by the sight…


	4. Answers, Presidents, and Unlikely Allies

(AN: Once more, I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 3: Questions, a New President, and Escape

Security Log: #1051

Time: 04/12/2313 1:12 A.M

To be at all honest, I believe that this will be my last "security" log in my journal, since what I had just seen in the president's office will remove me of my doubts. You see, what I saw wasn't too pretty; I saw lying on his desk, face-down, was the president himself, blood pooling around him, and saw that long katana struck into his back. I knew it wasn't at all likely that he was still alive, so the group, as well as I, cannot say anything to him now. I sighed a bit, knowing that it couldn't be helped, since Sephiroth was, in it of himself, a demon of sorts, or so he seemed in my eyes. I tried to stay out of the group's conversation when they spoke, but I couldn't help but wander around the area a little. I did hear that Cloud recognized the sword as Sephiroth's, and that only he could use it.

I would never truly understand who Sephiroth is, or what his intentions are, but something says that he's not a good person. I even heard Barret say that, "If Sephiroth is against Shinra as well, so why don't we consider him as an ally?" Of course, I agreed with what Cloud had said that Sephiroth is never to be trusted, mainly because though Sephiroth had come to slay the beasts, he still would've killed me, had Richter not intervene. I sighed a bit again, silently to myself, still not understanding why Ricter had done that; to protect me by taking his own life. It's something I may never understand; even he had a better chance with being with Cissnei than I did, even though I seemed to change that earlier.

Regardless, I was still wandering, but when I walked by a pillar, I saw one of the employees of the Shinra Weapons Development, Horris. He didn't notice me because I was behind him, and he was looking from behind the pillar to look at Cloud and the group. This might be one of my few chances to prove myself to the group, so what I did was walk up to him, and when he heard my footsteps, he jumped, and that was when Cloud and the large man took notice. Horris was about to run, but I managed to grab both of his wrists and held them behind his back, prepared to use my handcuffs if I had to.

He was struggling, of course, but Tifa had walked by to help hold him in place, so I wouldn't have too much difficulty. That was when I took my handcuffs, and bound his wrists together, and only I had the keys to unlock them, so now he couldn't really fight back too well. Aside from the rifle I had, I also had a small and basic handgun that I rarely use, so I pulled that out, and against all thoughts, I pointed it against his head. Cloud, taking advantage of the situation, explained to him, "If you want to survive this, you better give us some answers, otherwise he just may end up killing you…" He explained, and though I wouldn't shoot him, Cloud did sound serious, and I would've believed him if I was in that situation. Horris, it could seem, wanted to doubt him, but Cloud's mako-infused eyes made all the difference he needed.

So, still keeping a hold on Horris with Tifa, Cloud began to ask Horris the questions the group needed to know; I really don't want to explain the whole thing, but to put it simply, all our suspicions were correct. Sephiroth had come to the Shinra building, taken Jenova's cells, and had killed several Shinra employees including the president. But, amidst the talking, I took notice of a helicopter fly outside, and saw the Shinra logo on it, and I knew it had to be either a high-ranked Turk, or even the vice-president. It was at that moment Horris used his strength get out of both Tifa's and my own grasp, and dashed for the door, and while I was knocked away, Barret had his arm change in his gun, but he was already out of sight before a shot could be let out. My handgun slipped from my grasp, and slid across the floor several feet from me, but I quickly got up to retrieve it, and placed it back in its holster, before following Cloud's group outside the door and onto the balcony.

Once there, I watched as the Helicopter flew close to the ledge, and outside the side door, the man in all white stood there. He had blond hair, but his hairstyle was slicker than anything about him, and I eyed the specifically customized shotgun that was at his side, knowing it was meant to shoot precisely at any range up to 50 feet away. With the president dead, I knew that by default, Rufus was to become the next President of Shinra, to replace his father. Once he stepped out onto the balcony, he had already begun a speech of his when he was to become the president. I knew very well that he enjoyed making speeches, especially when they weren't exactly needed; to put it simply, he was just describing that he'll do plenty better than his father.

Once his speech was finished, he desired to know the people he was dealing with, and when it came to me, I simply explained that I'm a former Shinra troop. Of course, since Cloud was an ex-SOLDIER, Rufus simply shrugged and inspected everyone from a distance, though I could see that Barret wanted to kill him. But thankfully, when Rufus asked which of us would take him on, Cloud immediately stood up for the task, and told all of us to leave immediately, and that he'd follow shortly. When everyone left, I was the last to follow, and I could tell that Cloud could take care of himself, and watched him take his sword in hand, and prepared himself for battle.

Once we got to the floor under the President's office, Tifa watched as we walked through the door, and before I could realize what she was up to, she closed the door, and jammed the door for the moment. We heard her say that she would wait for Cloud her, and wanted us to press on, and that was what we did, following the stairs down a floor, but when we reached the elevator, I knew it can only hold three people at once. The group needed to be on the lower floor faster than I did, so I explained to them to take the elevator, and I might be able to meet up with them on the lower floor. I didn't pay attention to what was in the other elevator at the time, but I wanted to hurry, so I took my rifle from my back, and prepared myself to fight.

I was barely at the stairs when I encountered some troops and a SOLDIER 2nd Class, but they didn't seem to know I've betrayed them. I decided to take advantage of this moment, and told them that the president wanted this entire building searched for Sephiroth and/or any beasts, and eliminate them. Of course, since it was an order from the president, they believed me, and with that, they all scattered down the stairs, while I followed the SOLDIER, since he was the strongest at close range, and I could help him from a range, until it was good from there. He may not survive every attack we run into, but he would suffice until we reached lower level where I could stand on my own two feet, as the saying goes. Of course, he was already wounded, so I healed him whenever I had the chance with the materia I had, and in exchange, he handed me some ether potions to restore my ability to cast healing powers, and also my fire magic.

The fights varied in length, since there was some fights that had machines like the one I fought earlier with Cissnei, and also the beasts that I first fought alongside Richter. I was able to hold my ground when beasts lunged towards me as I shot at them, and I let the SOLDIER deal with a lot of the beasts and machines that went for him. To be honest, we were fighting like this for several floors, and some of the lights had been brought back on due to the back-up power running through the building. No doubt it wouldn't last for too long, but hopefully long enough for me to get to the bottom floor.

However, a few floors down and he was killed by a machine, which I had destroyed shortly after with the armor-piercing rounds my rifle could let out, but not without getting a bit wounded. Sadly, I could not bring him back or heal him enough so he would live, so I went back to trying to get to the bottom floor, but sounds other than guns came to my ears, and when I approached, I watched as two men in Turk suits rushed by, as if trying to get to a lower floor, and I recognized one as Decus (his hair was a giveaway), and I heard a voice from the hall cry out, "Cowards!" I recognized the voice Cissnei's, and knew I had a debt to repay to her when she helped me out earlier. So I rushed down the hallway, saying that I'll be there to help her myself, my rifle at the ready as it always was, hoping I would get there in time.

Short chapter, I know, and I apologize, but I promise for a bit better chapter next time; and depending if you review or not, it might be one you can enjoy or flame…


	5. Encounter with Cissnei P2

(AN: Once more, I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 5: Encounter with Cissnei (P.2)

AVALANCE Log: #1

Time: 04/12/2313 1:29 A.M

Like I mentioned in my previous log, that was my last "security log", and now I would like to work with AVALANCHE, for a few reasons. But you should know what my intentions are by now; too hard work here, low-quality pay-cheques, and I'd be an enemy and goner towards Cloud's group. Anyways… I believe I mentioned I was on my way top help Cissnei, did I not…? Oh yes, of course I did, silly me… Anyways, like I was saying, I was running down the halls, and before a door could close, I did a sliding dash under it before it closed shut, before getting to my feet again. My rifle was at the ready, and the sounds of combat only began to get louder as I approached Cissnei's position, and I doubted she heard me coming. My hair was moving with the air as I dashed, however nothing else seemed to hold me back, not even a machine that hovered in my way, only to have me slide underneath it like the door, and let a shot out at it, but I doubted it hit the circuit board inside it since I didn't bother to take time and aim, but managed to stun it momentarily.

As I looked forward, I saw Cissnei manage to block a swipe from one of the machines, but it caused her chackram to fly out of her grasp, thrusting into a wall. '_I guess it's time to repay that favor, Cissnei…_' I thought to myself, and before the machine could swipe at her unprotected form, I let out a shot at it, severing its claw immediately with the shot. Once I was close enough, I let out another two more rounds, before it fell, only static coming from it. Cissnei looked at me when I had arrived, and I only smiled, before turning around to finish off the one that happened to follow me, taking another two or three rounds. Once it fell as well, I set the safety on my rife and gave a few twirls, before placing it on my back; my unique pose, as some SOLDIERs told me. I turned to face her again, and saw her take her chackram out of the wall, and kept it to her side.

"It would seem we know how to make a proper appearance when the other needs it, doesn't it, Cissnei?" I explained, giving her he a bit of a smile, which she seemed to return. "So anyways, I saw those two partners of yours take leave when you needed their help, so I simply thought that you might need some form of help, even if it's not a lot." I spoke, being modest with my abilities, when I was aware that most captains, the rank higher than what was my own "ensign", managed to take on one of those machines with a well aimed shot. But she seemed to shake her head a little at what I said, and it was like she herself was being modest about my abilities, at least from her point.

But before she could say anything, I heard something start to move behind me, and taking my rifle in hands, I saw what seemed to be a SOLDIER 2nd Class operative, but something was off with them; under their helmet, I saw a red gaze, and on either side of him was a 3rd Class SOLDIER operative, all of which were equipped with standard issue SOLDIER swords, and they all had the red gaze. A third took a lunge at me, but I simply tried to keep out of it's range, and when his sword just grazed my arm, Cissnei threw her chackram at him, which caused him to back up a bit. But while he was in mid-back flip, I saw something penetrating into the back of his helmet, as if it was controlling his mind. I could notice that Cissnei saw it as well, and when her chackram returned to her hand. I had personally never fought with SOLDIER operatives before, and I was well aware it took months for a Shinra trooper to become a 3rd class took months, even years to gain such a title.

"Cissnei, how should we deal with the situation; should we just kill these SOLDIERs and eliminate the things controlling them when they move, or should we just attempt to go for the creatures controlling them?" I asked her, my rifle at the ready, but I didn't have it equipped with a tranquilizer option, and the same went with the handgun I had. I looked at Cissnei, and saw that she didn't have such a weapon on her either, so knocking them out with tranquilizers wasn't an option. I saw her close her eyes momentarily, and I was aware the SOLDIERs weren't going to wait forever.

"The second choice sounds promising, Damien, but… it's also the least likely choice to occur without having either of us becoming seriously wounded… I guess our only option is to take them out permanently, and kill the creatures once they expose themselves." She spoke, holding her chackram in her right hand, while her left hand reached for a handgun, a customized version of my own, which shot more accurately, was able to hit its mark at a faster rate, and was made to penetrate some types of armor. She had it pointed at the SOLDIERs, and as well as my rifle, we both began to let out fire at the SOLDIERs, and right away, a third went down, but the second 3rd and the 2nd Class both had their swords ready, and were able to block most shots aside from minor grazes.

I watched as the 3rd class SOLDIER lunged for me, his sword ready, while blocking the shots I let out at him, being let out at a burst-rate of fire. When he was in range, he took a lunge at me, which I was able to block with my rifle, both hands holding onto it to make sure I'd survive. But the SOLDIER's strength was getting a bit too much for me to hold back, It wasn't until I heard Cissnei's handgun go off that the SOLDIER's gaze turned back to normal, and he seemed confused as to why I was blocking it swipe, or even why he was swiping at an ally. I knew Cissnei managed to take out the creature that was controlling him, but she was having trouble with the 2nd Class SOLDIER now. I turned to face her, and pushed the SOLDIER to the side and took my handgun out, and aimed at the creature. When I shot, it grazed it, but it surprised it enough to release from the man.

When it was on the ground, I shot it, and with a squeal, it turned on it's back with it's legs curled towards its stomach, or so I guessed. The one creature in the dead SOLDIER was dead as well, since we made a head shot that penetrated through the skull and into the creature. The SOLDIERs were confused as they looked at us, as if wondering what the hell was going on, and I told them that the president needed to be protected, and with a nod, they ran off. But before Cissnei could leave as well, I grabbed her arm, holding her back. She looked at me, as if telling me to release her right away, but once the SOLDIERs were gone, I knew I had to tell her.

"Cissnei, the president was already killed when I saw him; Sephiroth got to him, or so I'm guessing, since it was his sword in the president; that long katana of his…" I explained to her, and she stopped struggling, and I released her wrist, and I saw her face showed one of regret, but only a little was noticeable. "Don't think that you're to blame though; no one was expecting such an attack set on the Shinra building, and by the world's strongest SOLDIER as well… I don't fully understand the details on how Sephiroth miraculously survived what happened at that one Mako reactor, but all I do know was that he was also the one who killed Richter…" I spoke, and it was a moment that I let that bit slip that I realized what I said.

"Cissnei, I know Richter was a good friend, but he fought trying to protect his friend; if it hadn't been for him, neither one of us would've been alive. And I swear that the next time I should find him, I'll make sure Sephiroth will pay somehow…" I spoke to her, closing my eyes a little, setting the safety on my rifle, and placed it on my back, which made a soft sigh come from me. "I think I may leave the Shinra building and… go search for Sephiroth, get stronger, and will eventually defeat him if I must, even if I go with him…" I added, closing my eyes a little more, and sighed a bit, as I bent down to get my handgun which I dropped when I grasped her arm moments ago.

However, partway down, I watched Cissnei crouch down with me, and once the handgun was back in the holster, I looked up at her, and saw her gaze was a little different than the others she gave me. It actually showed that she cared for me a little, and before I realized it, she leaned in to kiss me, which caused my eyes to open a bit widely from the surprise. However, it wasn't long before I slowly returned the kiss, and before I realized it, Cissnei put a bit too much force into the kiss, which caused me to pin me to the ground. She was on to of me, with her legs on the outside of my own, straddling me slightly, but I knew now wasn't the best time for us to kiss, and about to get into a moment… for reasons which were a little obvious.

It was then I pulled away from the kiss, and with an apology, I said, "I don't think this is the best time for that-" I was cut off when her finger was pressed to my lips, and I saw her gaze still look at me, and her expression kind of almost scared me a little.

"Shhh… It wasn't the best time for a kiss when you kissed me that time, and I said that I was going to return that favor, didn't I?" She whispered, her voice just slightly off her regular, into business sort of voice, almost as if she needed something from me. She leaned down to kiss me again, and aside from that, I felt her index and middle finger start to lightly move in a way as if they were walking across my chest, which was covered in now dried blood.

Thankfully, before anything started to get serious, she climbed off of me after pulling away from the kiss, and she helped me up, and she seemed to regain her composure. I was blushing a bit, and because the lights were on this far down, my blush was noticeable, and I saw hers as well. We stood there for a moment, standing there in absolute awkward silence, which I couldn't help but shiver a little, remembering Cissnei's expression. It was as if she wanted to comfort me from the pain of losing a friend, and also comfort herself, and she seemed like she was in what seemed like a lust-filled state. Thankfully though it wasn't permanent, but at the same time, I wanted to experience more with her, yet I was aware that now wasn't the best time.

"Perhaps next time we could press on a bit further than this; that is if we encounter one another again in the future on your journey… I really do hope that you'll be safe, Damien, but if you should ever need my aid, or another extra pair of hands, don't hesitate to call me or the other Turks; we'll be there…" She spoke, before she backed up a bit, and I noticed that her voice was back to what it was before we got caught up in our moment. And I knew that how the elevator is moving, chances were pretty good that Aerith, Red XIII (not sure if that was his name, but he had red fur, and I remembered the "XIII" tattoo) and Barret were probably at the bottom by now.

Since I was at floor 60, I was able to take the normal elevator down to the ground level, or what was the ground level according to the Shinra Building. It was as if she was reading my mind, and handed me the elevator key, which was needed in order to have the elevator run correctly. "Use it to take you to the bottom floor, and from there, I trust that you can get out of Midgar from there; I don't doubt that Rufus will be our president now, but it doesn't mean that Tseng isn't removed of his position as the leader of the Turks. Rufus is much stricter than his father, yet he has powerful speeches that hold meaning upon citizens, and no doubt he'll become better known than his father as well. But, please return in one peace, Damien; once your traveling across the world and defeating Sephiroth is finished. Knowing Rufus, however, he probably won't stand by idly, and I'm sure he'll send out troops worldwide to find Sephiroth, if what you say is true…" I heard her speak, and I nodded, but I knew that what I was doing, I was basically having a head-start, along with Cloud and his group.

"I'll see you around, Cissnei…" I spoke, accepting the key, and made my way for the elevator, but before she was out of view, I turned to face her. "I love you…" Was the last thing I told her before the elevator opened, and I stepped in. Before the doors closed, I heard her return my words of love with her own, before they closed completely. I noticed a tear in her left eye, but I knew I shouldn't let that bother me right now. I used Cissnei's elevator key, sliding it into the slot, and pressed the ground floor button, before the elevator began to move.

It didn't take long before the doors opened up, and I found myself on the base floor, and when I stepped out, I heard the elevator door next to me open up, and I saw Tifa, however, I had yet to even see Cloud. "Cloud will catch up with us in a moment, but he told me to tell everyone else to go into the museum, and take a vehicle or two if we must." I heard her say, and though I was a little confused, Cloud must've had his reasons, and from the elevator near the bottom, I saw Aerith, Red XIII and Barret step out, and when Tifa went to give them that message, I dashed into the museum, and took a look around for any vehicles the group could take. A motorcycle which was once on display was no longer there, only to be examined a few floors up by the staff, but because the power was out, I don't know what was going on.

Replaced by it was another bike, not as complex as the bike they were going to nickname "Fenrir" after the wolf beast, but it still worked, or so I hoped. The strange car that was there seemed like it could have only two people in the cab, and could probably have two in the back, so I decided that Tifa, Aerith, Barret and Red XIII could handle the car. I went over to the bike, and when I climbed on, I saw that the key was where it was supposed to, and when I turned it, the bike sprung to life with a roar, before going down to a small putter. And sadly, this is where I must end things for now, but I'll be able to explain what all happens in the next journal entry.


	6. Highway Chase Shinra War Tank

(AN: Once more, I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story be mainly about, which the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 5: Highway Chase/Shinra War Tank

AVALANCE Log: #2

Time: 04/12/2313 2:09 A.M

As I remained on the bike, with it still puttering and all, I heard the doors opened up, and watched as Tifa, Barret, Red XIII and Aerith come in, and I signaled towards the vehicle. I then remembered that I hadn't tested it to see if it ran, but thankfully I didn't have to, since when Tifa got in the driver seat and turned it on, it puttered a bit, to show as if it was alive. But then I heard another roar come from outside, so I stepped on the pedal and drove through the door, but not before I took a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the door furthest away from us. It was a fairly decent blast, and the door had been replaced with a hole in the wall, which I was satisfied with. I drove through the hole, with Tifa and co. driving close behind, right out to the main hall.

That was when I heard another motorcycle roar came to ears, and when I looked, I saw Cloud was on the black motorcycle, which was to be called Fenrir. It had a faster acceleration, and reached a slightly higher top speed than the bike I rode. My bike was above standard issue like his, but mine wasn't as great as Cloud's so I envied him for finding it.

"So we're out of here, tonight, right?" I spoke, making sure I had the story correct, and when he nodded, it was then my answer was confirmed. "Alright then… Cloud, lead the way…" He spoke, and with a nod, he steered his bike up the stairs he came down, and I revved my own to get up behind him, with Tifa following close in the car. We made it up a few floors, but we stopped when we saw the highway a fair distance away. I was estimating the jump distance, but Cloud didn't want to wait, so he revved his bike to the max, smashing through the window, flying through the air for a moment, before making contact with the concrete.

I then knew I had to do this as well, so I moved the bike back enough, and revved the bike to its max, but it didn't reach it before I made contact with the small 19 degree ramp. When the wind hit my face, I closed my eyes, but the feeling itself was absolutely amazing, up until I hit the road. Moments after I opened my eyes, I heard a thump of a large vehicle behind me, and saw Tifa and the rest of the group in the car. But it was then I heard sirens come from down the highway, and knew that Shinra must've had road patrol out in case we were to get out via highway. I grabbed my rifle in my right hand, and revved the engine again to get going, holding onto the handlebar with my left hand. I wasn't too talented on a bike, but I was able to fire a rifle and drive at the same time, and I could see I wasn't the only multi-talented person here. Cloud took his sword off his back, and began to get down the highway, with everyone else, myself included, following behind him.

I watched as Barret had his arm out in its gun mode, ready to take fire at any Shinra troops that got in range. I remained back a little, so I myself could take some single shots at their tires, to prevent them from following. Cloud had no intention of keeping any alive, so he and I are different in many ways, but we still had the same goal here. Once the Shinra bikers came in range, they had their melee batons out, and knew they wouldn't last against Cloud's sword; after all, it could swipe anything in half with only one cut, if he made a well-aimed strike that is. I would miss a few times, for certain, but at least they would be delayed at least if they had a flat tire, which is a good thing, sort of.

Once the bikes soon came into range, and right off the bat, Cloud swung for the first time, but the driver managed to only be grazed by the sword, but he came back anyways, trying to ram Cloud off the bike. With his back tire exposed, I took a shot, and right away, I knew I made contact since I saw his bike began to swerve uncontrollably, before veering into a wall, the bike becoming partially flat from the blow. But even with one guy gone, they seemed to believe I was with them, and that I just actually misfired. That was the target I intended, and I watched as a few bike rode past me, and soon were about to ram the car. Barret managed to take out two riders, maybe a third but I wasn't paying attention since I was taking care of another, before I thought I heard Aerith squeal out. I turned to look at her, and saw the man trying to pull her out.

"Idiot…!" I muttered, but it was unheard since the bikes volume had a much higher authority than my voice currently. I aimed at his tire, and I fired, missing the first two shots, but third time was the charm, before he released Aerith. But he didn't have time to stop before Aerith hit him with full metal rod, which caused him to steer into a divider, the bike flipping forward while crushing his body. Unfortunately, Cloud took the other highway, yet most of the riders were after him. A few bikers were following after the car and myself, well the car more than me, but still. When they got close enough, Barret was still letting out fire, a few of his bullets whizzing by my head, while missing them a little bit of the time. I knew now wasn't the time for it, so I sped up, which seemed to have the riders who weren't hit impressed, before Barret hit them.

I managed to swerve onto the left side, but another rider had managed to get beside me, and had a club ready to hit Tifa. If that happened, she would be knocked out, the car would crash and everyone would die, theoretically. Before he could finish his swing, I pointed the gun at him, and before he could saw anything, I fired, the round piercing through his helmet, killing him. That was the last biker chasing us for a while, anyways, and once the divided highway returned to one, Cloud had pulled in to the right side, checking to make sure everyone was alright. However, when the concrete began to quake, I had a bad feeling about what was to come.

Cloud seemed to hear it too, but before we could swerve out of the way, the three vehicles were hit by a fast-moving war tank, and I heard my back tires began to let out air. Cloud had just lost his balance, and he would have to stop. Tifa's vehicle had a large indentation at the back, meaning that they were in no better condition since their rear tires were releasing air as well. When we saw the road block sign, Cloud and I tilted our bikes while hitting the brakes, while Tifa pressed her foot down on the brake, and activating the E-brake as well.. I was breathing quite deeply, before getting off the currently useless bike, Coud doing the same as Barret got out the back with Red XIII. However, we had barely any time to react when the tank moved in and knocked us over again.

Cloud had gotten to his feet rather quickly, with Red XIII close behind, and then myself and finally Barret. Almost right away he was letting out armor piercing rounds at the same rate as a machine gun. I set my gun to armor piercing, and since it was slow at firing, I was to keep moving. Round after round I was firing at it, trying to keep my aim averted away from Cloud as he struck them with his sword and lightening magic. But the tank, which was developed by the Weapons Department of Shinra, seemed to have other ideas, and began to swipe the claws it had at Barret and I. I managed to move out of the way, only to have it graze me slightly, but Barret wasn't as lucky as me, since he took the blow. Deciding he could use the help, I released the power of my healing materia, and had it seal his wounds for the moment.

But it was because I did this that the tank let out the flamethrower on me. I raised my rifle to shield my face from the flames, while the temperatures began to rise for a while, until it thought I was gone. I was burned, my face was covered in small layer of soot and ash from other fried victims. But it seemed like it was about to be finished, and something inside me began to rise in fury, as if it was a stronger adrenaline rush. My weapon seemed to flare up when the fire materia in my arm began to react, and with that I decided to try this. I took aim, setting the rifle on full auto, and began to fire instead of regular bullets, but rather, small fireballs. It seemed like it wasn't liking the heat it was receiving where I was hitting it. Returning the fire to armor piercing, I took aim at the red place where I was cooking it, and fired, letting out a fairly sized fireball.

When the fireball hit the machine, it exploded on contact, and once its circuits were revealed, Barret began to fire at it, which was destroying it much faster. Once the circuit breaker was hit, the machine let out a dying whine, before all went silent aside from our heavy breathing. I was sweating a bit since I was letting out most of the heat, at least from the fire materia when it seemed to have an effect on my gun. Nobody seemed to ask me about it though, since they thought it was natural that I seemed to know it. Truth was , I didn't and I was merely straining my luck more than anything, and thankfully it was enough to finish things off. I was glad, sort off, but now I knew that it was time to say good-bye to Midgar, since the battle was now over. Anyways, I hope that, short as this entry was, I promise the next one will be longer…


	7. Goodbye Midgar, Hello Cissnei?

(AN: Once more, I own absolutely nothing created by Square Soft/Enix, Sony, Final Fantasy VII, or Crisis Core. The only thing that I own is my own character, which this story is mainly about, yet the storyline itself I do not own _**except**_ for any twists I plan to put in, which I hope will not insult any FFVII fans. Please R&R, and if you don't like it, just explain and I'll do my best to try and improve.)

_**Spirits of the Lifestream**_

Chapter 7: Good-bye Midgar, Hello… Cissnei?

AVALANCE Log: #3  
Time: 04/12/2313 7:04 A.M

Anyways, picking up from last time… I apologize again if it was so short, but I hope this will be longer… Anyhow, after the fight with the tank, the group was exhausted, so they decided to rest here for now, on the end of the highway. No road patrol was willing to risk coming here and fall off the highway from going too fast. I sensed that Cloud still didn't trust me too much, and I can understand, somewhat, but regardless, he stuck me to night-watch, in case any road patrol came by. Tifa and Aerith were still in the cab, Barret and Red XIII had climbed into the back of the same vehicle, while Cloud was lying against the railing next to Fenrir, his sword prepared in case I could not fend any soldiers off myself.

I dozed off a few times while leaning against the back of the scrapped tank, since it kept Cloud and the crew out of view, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Cissnei's lust-filled eyes from the Shinra tower. I wasn't that attractive, nor was she that needy, was she… or perhaps there was a bit of spark that just made her eyes seem like that…? I was starting to get a bit of a headache from all these thoughts on love; even back in Kalm, I wasn't considered to be too attractive or anything. Even my parents didn't exactly have high hopes in being grandparents with me as their son, at least, that was several years ago. I gave out a soft sigh; perhaps they were right, maybe they weren't even close to being right. Whatever the case, I don't know too much about that now, since all I can keep thinking about is Cissnei.

When the sun began to rise, I was a little tired, but not too much, since I'm used to being night-watch in the Shinra Tower, even if it wasn't too necessary at some points. I climbed off the back of the tank, landing on the ground, and was about to head to the cab, but I heard a motorcycle down the road. Acting natural, I kept my rifle at the side, and watched as the bike came closer, and actually, there were three bikes, each with a Shinra trooper on them. I had no helmet, and my uniform was still drenched in now dried blood, so they knew that I held some information.

"Have you located the people who stole vehicles from the Shinra Tower? We know that it had to be members of that rebel group, AVALANCHE, the ones who were captured before eerie occurrences happened last night, since their cell doors were open afterwards. By the damage on them, they must've forced their way through, since the cameras were disabled at the time the power went out and could not see what occurred at that time. So if you know anything, be sure to tell us…" The ensign spoke, looking at me, knowing that I myself was just an off-duty officer, or so they seemed to assume, anyways. I was no longer of the Shinra armada, yet, how I was dressed, they still had that belief that I was one of them. I had to try and get them away.

"To be at all honest, they had left during the night after destroying this tank. I'm not too certain if it was right after or not, but knowing that Shinra troops would be on their way, they made their escape. When I arrived, I saw nobody here… I can only assume they already left Midgar, and making their way…" I spoke, thinking to myself, since the only way was to Kalm from here, unless they stole an airship, but nobody has something like that except at Junon. "Actually, if you consider the region around this place, there are not very many places they could go… Look, I'll finish dealing with things here, you just report back and inform your superior officers of what went on here. I'll check around to try and find some sort of clue that will hopefully lead us in their direction; they have to be charged of the crimes they committed." I spoke, though I myself was one of those individuals, though these did not seem to think so. The man looked at me, staring down at me, looking me over, seeing the blood but generally, everything seemed to be in line.

"You must have been in the tower during the attack… we lost a number of soldiers in the building to not only to the beasts wandering around, but also from malfunctioning machines. You're a bit wounded yourself also, you certain you don't need any assistance?" I heard the man ask, and I shook my head, and blinked a few times.

"I'm fine, it's no big deal… I used whatever means that I could to get out alive and tried to chase after them. But they were gone when I arrived… My superior officer gave me direct orders to search around and to inform him in case I encounter anything strange or something that will help link us into finding the prisoners." I spoke, and I saw him look around, the tank limiting his view, but he knew full well that this was the end of the road. He, along with his small squad backed up, and drove off down the highway; at least I was able to send them away, which turned out to be a bit easier than I thought. Unexpected too, but then again, they were enlisted as the same rank as myself; and I was here while looking as though I experienced combat. And they did not know that I was actually now with AVALANCHE, yet it did not really matter if they did or not, for some reason. Sure, I would probably get captured and tortured, used in one of Hojo's experiments, or lastly, executed right before the new president, Rufus.

With the darkness of night slipping away, Midgar has a strange feeling it's darker than it usually is sometimes, even when the time said otherwise, but that's due to the heavy mako atmosphere and the 8 reactors. Well, 6 reactors now, technically, since the two were destroyed due to AVALANCHE's advances on them. Actually, it was the first sector reactor that went when I was on my first assignment with Cissnei, in Tifa's Seventh Heaven and saw it on the small television set up and the Shinra News went on about it.

I blinked several times as I soon heard footsteps coming from behind me, and I turned to see that it was Aerith, no big deal. I had only a feeling on why she had come here; perhaps she came to tell me that it was time for us to be heading out. That's merely a perhaps, but it was a bit evident that it was the case at the same time.

"Damien… We're about to head out now… Is there anything you think you need before we leave Midgar for quite some time?" I heard her speak, and I thought it over. Anything I needed… As far as I knew, there wasn't anything that I needed here in the slightest. I merely shook my head as I looked at her just afterwards. Nothing at all was needed from me; wants are different than needs, but I wouldn't push my luck any more than I have already with trying to settle in.

"There isn't anything I need or want in particular before we leave… I think I'm content with what I've got on me right now. If we're heading in the direction of Kalm, it may be a good idea to rest there. It… happens to be my home town, after all." I spoke to her, but my voice drifted a little as I remembered my parents; they would wonder why I had returned so soon. I hated lying to them when I was younger, and I didn't wish to intend to lie to them now. However, would they seriously believe me if I told them of what happened to the President, how Sephiroth has returned, and that I have quit Shinra? They probably wouldn't, that's what; at least, the part about Sephiroth returning, for Rufus would not make a global announcement about such a horrifying topic to be brought up.

Aerith had nodded, and soon enough, I followed her to the rest of the group, who were waiting; for all I knew, they actually could've left without me. It wouldn't have mattered; I may have just left at my own pace like I had told Cissnei back in the Shinra tower. Whether I ran into Cloud and the group or not didn't really appear to matter too much if that would've been the case. However, due to my lack of fighting experience, I may not have lasted too much out in the field, yet still, I had to try to fight and survive. Just makes me wish that I spent more time in that training simulator to enhance my combat abilities and strategic movements.

I saw that everyone was discussing a plan of movement, and I was standing to the side, still thinking to myself. I wonder if I should accompany them or not entirely. I think that I'd probably be fine on my own should we intend to head to Junon, then after that, I'll wander on my own, I hope. I'll try to find my own means of tracking down Sephiroth, and just how exactly I can bring an end to this and avenge Richter. But Cloud probably had his own reasons to be hunting down Sephiroth also, so most definitely, we would encounter each other more frequently than necessary. Junon may be home to the Highwind, however, I had absolutely minimal flight training, and as such, flight would not be in my future.

"Damien… What are your plans as if this point…? You're branded a traitor to the higher voices in Shinra, and you've proven yourself in the battle with this tank…" I heard Cloud speak to me after he finished his plans. I closed my eyes, and my mind had already come up with a decision on what path I was going to walk.

"I'll remain with you until Junon… After that, I'll parting ways with you there… If heading to Junon will be your priority…" I explained, and I saw Cloud appeared to understand.

"I'm not certain yet we'll be heading that far, but… At least you have a plan set up. Honestly, I'll follow Sephiroth wherever he goes, so if we have to head to Junon, then yes, I suppose that gives us time. However, our first stop will be in Kalm so I can discuss more about Sephiroth… You had a personal encounter with him and lost someone you looked up to, so the least I could do is give you information about what we're dealing with." Cloud explained, and I gave a nod to show I understood. In the meantime, I watched as everyone had made their way down; Red XIII, who was not human, had to be on Barret's shoulders while they traversed down.

Soon enough, Cloud began to climb down the wire rope himself, and when he was out of view, I turned to look back at Midgar once more, and thought to myself. I had no doubt Cissnei would be on shift and in search for Sephiroth with her cowardly partners; I still question how they could just abandon her and how they became Turks. I sighed as I soon traversed down the cable down to ground level, where everyone else was waiting, all organized and ready to head out. Once I was at the bottom of the cable, I released and dropped down the several feet, and had a slight stumble in my landing. However, I took a stand a bit of ways away from the group, but Cloud did signal to approach, after Barret told him that it'd be best to split up in two different groups.

After a moment, Cloud made the decision to travel with Barret and Aerith, which would leave me to travel with Tifa and Red XIII. Red didn't know me well enough, though he knew I was in Shinra, now with them, and Tifa… well, I can't say what she thought about me so well. Women completely confuse me for the most part, though I still knew their thoughts should be kept to them alone; Tifa was no different from what I could tell, and perhaps she really liked Cloud and trusted his decisions. But Cloud had appointed that Tifa would lead our group while he took his group to Kalm, both of us heading in our own separate directions.

* * *

AVALANCHE Log # 4  
Date: 04/14/2313 1:34 PM

I don't know how long we walked, it was definitely a long walk to Kalm, that was for sure. One helicopter ride took only a matter of hours, while a land vehicle took a little less than a full day's drive. So if my guess is right, some time tomorrow, we should arrive at Kalm. We had stumbled off to the side, having just finished an encounter with some critters wandering around this open space. The fighting wasn't too bad or anything, however, it was against wild animals, and we were probably trespassing on their territory. However, we were able to defeat them, but Tifa suggested it was for the best; thankfully for us, we came across a small pond area in a light forest. However, I wandered up river to spend some time to think, Red XIII went to scout the area and ensure we weren't wandering on anime territory.

However, it was not really like Red and I needed to do these things; more like Tifa wished to spend some time to clean her body after these battles with no spots like this anywhere. This was her only opportunity so far, and it was evident that she didn't really wish to take any chances, so yeah. Sitting on the riverbank and thinking actually relaxed my mind and helped me think about my next plan of movement should we go to Junon. Sneaking onto a ship wouldn't be too much of a problem, but only if I got into a cleaner uniform; this bloodstain had to go.

So much to do and so much to think of; I mean, I could go and take a peep on Tifa if I set my mind on it, but I knew I'd get caught and I'd be disciplined, if not as a Shinra trooper, then as a part of AVALANCHE. Ugh, where am I getting these thoughts; I'm not a pervert, and besides, I'm more loyal to Cissnei, and I said it to myself that I'd sooner see her in such a state than any other woman, more especially someone of Tifa's figure. Actually, scratch that… I need to get my mind off these matters and away from this topic, in case anyone does make an attempt to read this journal.

Anyways, just before I could think of anything, I heard what sounded like footsteps approaching me from behind. And before I had a chance to respond, I was blindfolded, grabbed and brought up against a tree, my back towards whoever this was. The figure wasn't like Tifa's; if it was, then her breasts would've been felt, however, in this case, all I felt were elbows digging into my shoulders a bit painfully. I was struggling, however, whoever it was definitely had experience in putting most in this situation and prevented escape.

"The sooner you cooperate, the sooner I can let you go…" I heard the voice, and I immediately recognized it as Cissnei's. Wait, didn't she want me to head to Kalm, now that I thought about it, and would be waiting for me there? I had stopped struggling, and her forcing me up against the tree ended, and the blindfold was easily removed. When I did turn around, I did see Cissnei standing right there, smiling softly. "I had you convinced that you were actually being captured, didn't I?" I heard her speak, and I sighed softly.

"Kind of yeah, but… I mean… You never did this before… Wait, this isn't your way of asking me to come back, is it? I meant what I had said before, Cissnei, that I would be going on a journey to find Sephiroth-" Was all I said, before she pressed a finger on my lips like before; is this going to be another sort of romance thing she intended to play out? However, it didn't look to be the case when she had a serious expression on her face, like she actually meant business.

"Yet, you're traveling with them…? They wish to bring an end to Shinra, and yet, you're traveling with them to accomplish this…?" I heard Cissnei speak, and I looked a bit surprised that she knew about them, and why I was with them.

"Cissnei, at least, give me time to explain myself…" I said, but she turned her head away, looking disappointed.

"You have five minutes to try and give me your reasons on why you're traveling with the enemies of Shinra…" I heard Cissnei spoke, her voice still serious-sounding, though her expression still had a concerned look, and her eyes had a depressed feeling in them. I seriously did not hurt her that much that I was with them did she?

"It's not that I believe in their motives, Cissnei… I mean, being in Shinra for so long, going by them is the only way I know… The reason why I'm with them is because their path happens to be in the same direction and, well… I guess that they just want an extra hand with them until they did not require my services…" I explained to her, but she didn't appear to believe me so much. "My allegiance belongs to nobody as of this point, Cissnei… I mean, if you weren't a part of the Turks, I actually would've asked you to come along with me, yet I didn't wish to be conflicting with what was going on with your work. You have a fairly high pay-cheque, and you can easily live off whatever Gil you make from working. I could barely get by with what I got, and after what had happened in the tower, I just… I was a bit tired of following orders even if I received only a few of them, and I would not be recognized of my work anyways…" I spoke to her, my words sincere and meaningful to the best of my ability, yet Cissnei hardly appeared to have budged much.

I also wished to say, "I love you, Cissnei…" however, what good will come out of saying that at this point? Moments afterwards, Cissnei's radio beeped, and she immediately answered.

"Yes, this is Cissnei…" I heard her speak into it, and I could hardly make out the voices on the other end. I saw her look towards me, and after a moment, she spoke up again. "…No, I haven't come across any traces of them just yet. I don't know, maybe we… You'll be heading south from here…? I understand, I'll get back to you in case I find anything…" I heard Cissnei finish up, and she hung up on it, and looked down.

"I just bought you some more time, Damien… The other Turks are on the lookout for the prisoners, with absolutely no regard to what happens to you. However, when you do happen to begin to travel on your own…" I heard her begin, and I couldn't believe it; she believed me? "Just give me a call, and I'll come and find you. As a Turk, I have my connections, and one of our reasons for following the group is because of Aerith… She is an Ancient, and she supposedly knows the way to the Promised Land… Sephiroth, though, is Rufus' main target, since he has a feeling that where the Promised Land is located is more than likely filled with Mako energy sources." I heard Cissnei explain, and by the sounds of it, she was starting to have doubts towards being with Shinra.

"Up until you travel alone, Damien… I'll remain a Turk, but promise me, that when we travel together, I would like us to treat each other as equals, alright? But, my time here is nearly up; Red XIII, the creature who was formerly Hojo's experiment, would probably pick up my scent if I stay too much longer. Until next time, Damien, take care…" I heard Cissnei speak, and I could tell that there was still something inside her that was attracted to me. I saw her then turn around and walked away, until she was eventually out of sight.

"Take care of yourself too, Cissnei…" I whispered, looking in her direction for a while, even after she was long gone. Plans have changed, it would seem; after I do manage to get away from Cloud and the group, and travel on my own, Cissnei has offered to come along with me, even if it would cost her job just to travel with me. I really didn't wish to have done that, but now I know I may not be able to change her mind; though Cloud and them won't see it, Cissnei was now an ally of sorts.

"Damien, what are you looking at…?" I heard a voice, and I turned to see that Tifa was clearly finished with what she was doing, and Red XIII had finished looking around. It would seem he had yet to pick up anything, but he appeared to, yet he didn't seem to concerned.

"N-nothing… So, we're done here, aren't we, Tifa…?" I asked her, knowing it was her decision, and saw her nod a bit moments later. "Then, lead the way, Tifa…" I said to her, and I listened to her chuckle a bit, before we began our tread to Kalm, which of course, obviously, did not come with several creature encounters over the duration of the rest of the trip...


End file.
